PICO Criteria
PICO stands for Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome. Defining your PICO criteria gives reviewers a clear, structured description of what your review is looking for. Reviewers can reference the PICO while screening studies, which helps ensure consistent inclusion and exclusion decisions across your team.
What PICO criteria are for
PICO criteria translate your research question into specific, actionable criteria. For example:
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults aged 18 or older with type 2 diabetes |
| Intervention | GLP-1 receptor agonists (any agent, any dose) |
| Comparator | Placebo or standard of care |
| Outcome | HbA1c reduction at 6 months or longer |
Reviewers see the PICO panel while screening and can refer to it when deciding whether a study meets the review's inclusion criteria.
Opening the PICO settings
From your project, navigate to Settings and select the PICO Criteria tab, or go to Project Management > PICO Criteria in the sidebar.
Defining your PICO
Each PICO element has a text field where you can enter a description. You can use plain prose or a bulleted list - use whatever format is clearest for your team.
Click in any field and start typing. There is no length limit, but keep each element focused and specific. Broad or vague descriptions reduce the benefit of having PICO criteria visible during screening.
Enter the Population
Describe who the studies must be about. Include relevant characteristics such as age group, diagnosis, clinical setting, or disease severity. State any explicit exclusions (for example, "Exclude paediatric populations").
Enter the Intervention
Describe the treatment, exposure, or practice being studied. If the review covers a class of interventions, describe the class and any specific agents or approaches that qualify.
Enter the Comparator
Describe what the intervention is being compared against. This may be a placebo, an active control, standard of care, or no treatment. If any comparator is acceptable, note that explicitly.
Enter the Outcome
Describe the endpoints or measures the review is interested in. Include both primary and secondary outcomes if relevant, and specify the time horizon if important.
Save your PICO
Click Save to store the PICO criteria. The saved version is immediately visible to all reviewers in the project.
How PICO criteria are used during screening
When a reviewer opens a study for title/abstract or full-text screening, the PICO criteria are accessible from a collapsible panel on the screening interface. Reviewers can expand it at any time to check whether the study meets the review's criteria without having to navigate away.
Write the PICO criteria in the same language you use in your review protocol document. Consistency between the protocol and the in-app PICO reduces confusion and makes the criteria easier to audit during quality assurance.
Editing PICO criteria
You can update the PICO criteria at any time during the review. However, changing PICO criteria after screening has started may affect the consistency of your decisions. If you make substantive changes, communicate the update to your screening team and consider whether any already-screened studies need to be re-evaluated.
Changing PICO criteria mid-screening does not automatically flag previously screened studies for re-review. You must manage any re-screening manually.